Homer-Happy Mets Sweep Subway Series to Reach .500
OMG, the Mets have reached the .500 mark!
And with a two-game Subway Series sweep, a Mets season that appeared derailed just a few weeks ago looks back on track.
Francisco Alvarez homered, doubled and drove in three, Sean Manaea induced three double play balls, and the Mets (39-39) routed the Yankees 12-2 at Citi Field Wednesday to climb back to .500 for the first time since May 7.
OPPO TACO ????????
Francisco Alvarez with a laser to right for a two-run homer!
pic.twitter.com/eQ4SyjL3ns— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) June 27, 2024
J.D. Martinez singled home Francisco Lindor to break a scoreless tie in the third before Alvarez smashed an opposite-field, two-run homer over the 370-foot sign in right center. It was the 22-year-old catcher’s fourth home run of the season and third in his last five games.
Mets players have taken to celebrating home runs and wins by singing the chorus of “OMG,” a Latin pop song by Candelita, aka infielder Jose Iglesias. SNY reported that Martinez successfully pressured Iglesias to move the song’s release date to Friday. The tune inspires a little hand choreography too.
Manaea (5-3) issued five walks and gave up two hits, but unlike his counterpart Luis Gil, he wiggled out of jams while tossing five shutout innings to lower his ERA to 3.89. He got Alex Verdugo to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the first. Jose Trevino was a double-play victim in the second, and Verdugo bounced into another in the fourth.
Gil (9-3) walked Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso in the fifth, and with Alvarez due up, Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulled his starter for Caleb Ferguson. It didn’t work.
Alvarez doubled over the head of Juan Soto into the right field corner, bringing home a head-first sliding Nimmo and sending Alonso to third. The game was then delayed by rain for about 90 minutes, with the Mets holding a 4-0 lead.
When play resumed with runners at second and third, the Yankees (52-30) brought in Yoendrys Gomez, who walked the first two batters he faced to bring in a run. Jeff McNeil brought home Alvarez with a sacrifice fly and Harrison Bader added an RBI double. The Mets led 7-0 after five.
Danny Young struggled in relief for Manaea after the rain delay. He walked Soto, coughed up Aaron Judge‘s 30th home run, and was chased after a Verdugo single. Adam Ottavino entered and pitched around a Mark Vientos fielding error to keep the score at 7-2.
Tyrone Taylor hit a three-run homer in the sixth off Gomez to put the game out of reach. Bader added a solo homer in the seventh, his second in as many nights against his former team.
The Mets offense made a Yankee starter work for a second straight night. Gil was at 87 pitches when pulled in the fifth, and Yankee ace Gerrit Cole threw 72 pitches while lasting just four innings on Tuesday.
The Mets were 18-18 before dropping 15 out of 19 to fall a season-low 11 games under .500 at 22-33. The last loss of that stretch led to a team meeting after Jorge López tossed his glove into the crowd after getting pulled from a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have gone 17-6 since to get back to .500.
Entering Wednesday’s action, the Mets led MLB in runs per game (6.2), batting average (.287), and OPS (.859) for June. New York was second in slugging percentage (.504) this month and third in batting average with runners in scoring position (.310).
Stat of the Game
Manaea made good and bad history. He fanned Soto for strikeout No. 1,000 of his career (and finished his night with 1,001 Ks.) And he walked three batters in the first inning, becoming the first Met to walk three batters in the first in back-to-back starts in team history.
Player of the Game
Alvarez went 3-for-3 with a homer, double, single, walk, three RBIs and three runs scored. He is hitting .415 (17-for-41) since returning from the injured list on June 11. For the season, he is slashing .313/.383/.521.
On Deck
The Mets are off Thursday. They start a three-game series with the Houston Astros at Citi Field on Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Jose Quintana (3-5, 4.58 ERA), who has given up just one run in his last 12 1/3 innings, is scheduled to face right-hander Ronel Blanco (8-2, 2.34 ERA), who no-hit the Toronto Blue Jays in April. The game will air on Apple TV+.
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